Who is Blind Richard, Leonard from Suttree and what is their importance?

Blind Richard is a nice man whom Suttree helps out frequently. Blind Richard feels the bottoms of the tables at the cafe and realizes they are carved tombstones. He "reads" the name of William Callahan under one. Leonard is a sad character whose mother collects state benefits to support the family. When his father dies, they don't tell anyone and Leonard gets Suttree involved in sinking his father's months-old body in the river so they can can continue collecting benefits. Later, Leonard gets gonorrhea.